The use of various surfactants in detergents has been established in the prior art. They serve as wash-active substances to increase the solubility in water of fat and dirt particles adhering to laundry items. Because an insufficient cleaning performance is unsatisfactory and leads to consumer dissatisfaction, it is a general aim to optimize the cleaning performance of detergents further.
The object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a detergent with an improved cleaning performance, particularly on greasy stains.
It was found surprisingly that the cleaning performance of detergents is significantly improved, particularly with respect to the cleaning performance thereof on greasy stains, if the detergent contains, in addition to other surfactant components, amine oxide in a specific quantity ratio based on the other surfactants present in the detergent, particularly alkylbenzene sulfonate, alkyl ether sulfate, and fatty alcohol alkoxylate.
Moreover, it became evident surprisingly that, apart from the improved cleaning performance on greasy stains with a simultaneous reduction of the total surfactant content, a drop in performance on bleachable, enzymatic, and surfactant stains can be prevented by selecting a specific quantity ratio of the surfactants: amine oxide, alkylbenzene sulfonate, alkyl ether sulfate, and fatty alcohol alkoxylate. Thus, the disclosed detergent is advantageous in addition, because the environment is protected and the use of raw materials becomes more sustainable and the production more economic.
Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.